Tomorrow could very well be a pivotal day for the NBA -- not because of what takes place on the floor but what could happen off it.

Whether or not it is by design, NBA executives have created a perfect marketing experiment with the games they scheduled for Christmas Day. On the one hand you have the Spurs-Pistons matchup that has substance and embodies the idea of team play, as opposed to the Lakers-Heat game, which will be all about style and the relationship dynamics of the individuals who are playing in it. The ratings for each game could help determine how the league should sell itself going forward.

 Style or Substance?

Courtesy UPI

In the past, the NBA and Commissioner David Stern have used the names of certain players to sell the game. Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were pitchmen for the product and helped establish a worldwide following for the league. They were known simply as MJ, Sir Charles, the Mailman, Larry Legend and Magic, and they proved to be ideal representatives for their teams. However, in recent years, the NBA has been looking hard for their replacements.

They have used Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant along with Coach Phil Jackson to drum up interest in the NBA during the post-Jordan era. All three, of course, were once part of the soap opera that was the Lakers and each of them has been used to hype the game tomorrow. By now, even the most casual fan knows who Shaq, Kobe and Phil are.

That part is good for the NBA. But it still doesn't make up for the fact that  the NBA has lost a lot of ground since Jordan left. The NFL has become by far the most popular sports league and its appeal seems to grow each year. Interestingly enough, Paul Tagliabue has marketed his league through the teams, not the players. Fans turn out to see the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts, not just Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Other franchises, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, continue to embody the qualities of their city. They have a rough, hard-hitting defense and a big, lumbering quarterback who looks like an everyday worker. They are part of the city's fabric.

In many ways, the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons follow the NFL model. They are teams comprised of great players, but none of the individuals involved are superstars. Tim Duncan is unassuming and Ben Wallace does not produce enough offense to draw fans by himself. What sells the Pistons and Spurs is that they are more than the sum of their parts and they have the potential to be dynasties like the Patriots are in the NFL.

The NBA realizes this. It is why the matchup between the last two champions was scheduled for Christmas Day along with a game that has all the storylines, rivalries and glamour. By comparing the viewership both games attract, the NBA can see if it needs to alter its marketing strategy and follow the NFL's archetype. Tomorrow, the real matchups are not the Heat-Lakers and Pistons-Spurs. Rather they are are Individual vs. Team and Style vs. Substance.